Imagery Image Shows First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by US is Now Near the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly transporting embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the tanker is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are now pursuing a third such vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
